“Indeed, Qarun was from the people of Moses, but he tyrannized them. And We gave him such treasures that their keys would have burdened a band of men endowed with strength. When his people said to him, ‘Do not exult; indeed, Allah does not love those who exult.’” (76)

His statement, exalted is He: “Indeed, Qarun was from the people of Moses”—he was his cousin, for he was Qarun son of Izhar, ⦗65a⦘ son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Jacob, peace be upon him; while Moses was the son of Imran, son of Kohath. Ibn Ishaq said: Qarun was Moses’ paternal uncle, the brother of Imran; both were sons of Izhar. Among the Children of Israel, none was more versed in reciting the Torah than Qarun; yet he became a hypocrite, just as the Samaritan became a hypocrite.

“But he tyrannized them.” It was said that he was Pharaoh’s official over the Children of Israel, and that he dealt tyrannically and unjustly with them. Qatadah said: He tyrannized them through his great wealth. Al-Dahhak said: He tyrannized them through polytheism. Shahr ibn Hawshab said: He added a handspan to the length of his garments. It has been narrated to us from Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at one who drags his garment out of pride.” (1) It was also said that he tyrannized them through arrogance and haughtiness.

“And We gave him such treasures that their keys”—this is the plural of “key,” that by which a door is opened. This was the view of Qatadah, Mujahid, and a group of others. It was also said that “their keys” means their storehouses, as in His statement: “With Him are the keys of the unseen” (al-An‘am 6:59), meaning, its storehouses. “Would have burdened a band of men endowed with strength”—that is, they would have weighed them down and caused them to bend when carrying them because of their heaviness. Abu Ubaydah said: This is an inverted expression; its intended sense is: “Indeed, the band would have been weighed down by them.” One says, “So-and-so rose carrying such-and-such,” when he rises under its weight.

They differed regarding the number constituting a band. Mujahid said: between ten and fifteen. Al-Dahhak narrated from Ibn Abbas: between three and ten. Qatadah said: between ten and forty. It was also said: forty men; and it was said: seventy. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that forty men, the strongest of men, carried his keys. Jarir narrated from Mansur, from Khaythamah, who said: I found in the Gospel that the keys to Qarun’s treasures constituted the load of sixty mules; no key among them was larger than a finger, and each key corresponded to a treasure. (2)